Holding it Together
by Supertails
Summary: After the death of Neon the hedgehog's loved one, he goes through a lot to save the world by making sacrifices, daring choices, and other things. Follow him through it and experience an adventure you won't forget! Rated T for language and blood
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey, all, it's Neon[Supertails! I bring you a story based around Neon the hedgehog, my own character who lives in Blaze's Dimension, in the city called Glint City. (I went with a different dimension rather than the future because that's how it was in Sonic Rush.) In this story, you'll see what Neon goes through to save the world after his loved one dies. Who is that? Well, you'll have to know Neon from somewhere where I've put his bio to know who! Anyway, enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: Blaze the Cat does not belong to me. She is property of SEGA and Sonic Team. Everything else here, from Neon to Glint City itself, belongs to me, as I didn't pull any of this from the Sonic Series.

Title: Holding It Together

By Neon the Hedgehog

Chapter 1

It was a quiet, calm, sunny day. It couldn't get much better… if it wasn't hot. A breeze would have been nice, summer is usually pretty hot.

At Neon's command, a slight, cool breeze began to blow. It was rather relaxing, and he yawned and placed his hands behind his head as he stared up into the cloudless, blue sky. The grass shuddered from the wind, but it was a peaceful noise. It couldn't get any better now. Relaxing in the fields during a summer day was one of the green hedgehog's favorite activities at this time of year.

It was so silent, so peaceful. Neon liked to take this all in. He was usually busy doing things like rescues or foiling the plans of a certain grey-mustachioed fat guy. But not today- this was the rare time he got to relax in the summer. And he liked it a lot.

Neon sat up. The green hedgehog shook several light green blades of grass off of his red vest. He stretched his arms up above his head and his long quills with their black highlights underneath. Bringing his arms down, he absent-mindedly brushed one of the two, long, drooping quills on his forehead out of his eyes. After the green spine and its black highlight underneath wasn't poking his eye (he still let both of them hang there as usual), Neon looked around. This area wasn't so close to Glint City, where he'd lived for so long.

There were several trees visible to him in the distance, large and covered in green leaves. He got up and shook more bits of grass off of his long, somewhat loose black pants, which had their brightly colored red flames that went up the pant legs and to his knees. Neon brushed the grass off of his back and his chest, and then began for a tree. He met it with his unique tennis shoe- It was green with a horizontal white stripe that went across the front from either side that met an angled blue stripe, which crossed the top and met the back of his shoe, where a green, circular part with a blue section in the middle was. His pants, however, drooped over and piled on top of them usually, as they were somewhat long.

Neon climbed up the tree and sat in a large, thick branch. His white gloved hands lay on the branch, the orange squares on top facing upward. His short vest was held up by the shoulder spines on his back, which were long and had the same black highlights underneath as his spines and long tail. The vest only went halfway down his torso, so it was easy to see the long, white tuft of fur on his chest. The vest had blue stripes on the front edges of either side, the same color as the blue ring around the arm holes and on the top border of the pockets.

"Ah, Glint City. The view of it from here is pretty great…" Neon said to himself, the green hedgehog's brown eyes staring at the great city, with the large, shiny castle located in the middle. The tops of the towers of the castle had that large swirl shape to it that made the golden decorations look almost like giant flames. The castle itself was a marble white, and Neon had seen similar colors inside. He'd been in there many times before when he visited his friend, and the princess, Blaze the Cat.

The cat was lavender. She had shiny yellow eyes and a warm heart. Blaze was different from the rest because she could control the fire; not that she wasn't noted of being the princess, of course. She had four ponytails that looked nearly like feathers tied up with a single, red band. The color of the small gem on her forehead matched that color and it glistened nicely in the light. Blaze had tufts of fur on the sides of her head that were rather commonly found on most cats. Around her neck she wore a golden necklace.

Blaze wore a peculiar dress, purple with long sleeves and what appeared to be coat tails on either side. The coat tails were lined with a reddish-pink color on the outside edges. The coat tails began at just about where Blaze's long, white pants started. Her tail was long, with one upward bend in the middle. It kept the same lavender color as the rest of her fur, except for the end, where the pointy ends had purple fur, just like at the tips of her ponytails. Her white gloves had pointy and jagged cuffs, the same as the tops of her socks, which led into her reddish-pink heeled shoes. There was a white stripe across the middle of the shoe, and it crossed either side and met the gleaming sole and heel of her shoes.

An image of Blaze appeared in Neon's mind, as clear as in real life. The green hedgehog smiled. It was indeed a good day. He jumped out of the tree, deciding that he'd be best off doing something besides being lazy, and wandered off back into the city. He was greeted by several people; he was well known and somewhat respected as a hero of sorts. Of course, not as big of a deal as Blaze, but it was enough attention that made Neon glad that he wasn't hidden by Blaze's shadow. Besides, partly-hidden worked for him.

"Well, it's a nice, quiet day today. What do I want to do?" he asked himself as he walked into his house. It was a one-story-tall house, with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a den. It was also rather messy, but Neon never felt like he could actually clean it. But he had never tried recently, either, so it was a rather pointless point of view. He spotted the glint of an object in the corner of his eye, and a smile spread across Neon's face as he walked towards the string instrument.

In only a few moments' he was set up on the roof of his house, his amps plugged into his guitar and to the extension chord that wound around to the electrical outlet. Neon's face housed a slightly maniacal expression as he pulled the strap over his shoulder and grabbed the neck He turned a few knobs on the red electric guitar and on the amps before he pulled a guitar pick out of his pocket. He raised his pick hand up, and, before he brought it down, laughed slightly, slamming down his hand and beginning to rock out rather loudly. He wasn't an expert, but he had some knowledge and skills with his guitar and had already written a song or two, though he had decided to leave out the vocals this time around.

It wasn't long before someone nearby, a neighbor or not, had tossed an empty soda can at Neon, and then came the complaints of "disturbing the peace." Groaning, Neon switched off the amps and his guitar, and then carried them off the roof, pulling out the plug and the extension chord as well. He put away the objects, and ambled out his front door, wondering what he'd do next. Looking down the street, he saw a large, black van driving rather quickly.

"Well, what's this?" Neon said loudly, and followed the blurred vehicle with his eyes until he realized that it was in fact heading directly for the front door of Blaze's castle!

Neon clenched his teeth in anger and began to chase after the van, picking up speed and eventually flying with the wind behind him.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

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A/N: Neon[Supertails here! I DO love to leave you on cliffhangers! It's fun indeed! I started the main problem of the story soon. What happens? Find out next!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: And the story continues! What happens to Neon and that Van? Here it is! 

Chapter 2

There was a screech from the brakes for only just a moment as the driver poked his head out the window and turned his covered-up face to see Neon. Neon didn't know what the guy had been thinking in that short second, but he had waved a hand at one of the other men in back of the van, who ducked under the view through the window, appearing to grab something. The green hedgehog didn't care, and he continued to pursue the van.

Holding out his arms, Neon concentrated his wind control to make a gust of wind form a barrier in front of the car, which slowed the vehicle down. He continued towards the slowly-moving vehicle, until he saw a long, metal, cylindrical object point out of the back window at him. There was no mistaking it. That was a-

_BANG!_

His arms dropped down. Neon stumbled back, a think, red liquid beginning to pool on his left shoulder. It had started to run down his arm and stain on his glove when the sharp, knifelike pain rang throughout his body, and Neon collapsed to the ground, holding his shoulder. The wind barrier dissipated, and the screech of rubber on the road was heard before the van continued its course.

"AUGH! GET BACK HERE!" Neon shouted, gritting his teeth as he winced from putting pressure on his wound. He struggled off of one knee and was getting off the other when another shot rang from the rifle in the van. It missed Neon and ricocheted off of the ground nearby him. The green hedgehog finally stood up, the sides of his left glove and the palm of his right glove stained with a thick, dark-red bloodstain.

Neon angrily made a swiping motion with his right arm, and a gust of wind slammed into the side of the van and it skidded to the side. As he began to run towards it, another bullet was fired and missed due to the rocking of the van. Another gust of wind pounded into the van, and this time a screech was heard as the car was spun in a different direction. The person holding the rifle got a steady aim, setting the crosshairs of the weapon on Neon. Neon saw this and dived out of the way as a bullet scarred the road right where he'd stood mere moments ago.

By now, the commotion of the scene had attracted the attention of several people, who were now hidden inside the nearest building and peering through the windows to take in the event. Several drivers swerved out of the way of the van and ran out of their cars, hoping not to be injured. Neon chased after the van once more, and held a good gust of wind on the side of the car to prevent it from turning towards the castle.

Another bullet blasted through the air. Neon tripped as it skimmed the side of his shoe and stopped himself from hitting the ground with a pillow of wind just in time to avoid possibly cracking his head on the road. He scrambled to his feet, groaning from the pain in his arm, as the longer he was in one place the easier it would be for the person holding the rifle to get a good, clean shot at him. Just as he moved, another bullet scraped against the street.

The rifleman had finally gotten tired of getting a perfect aim and began to just plainly shoot at Neon, not pausing to get a better aim. As the van went around a corner, Neon took shelter behind the walls. The bangs of the gun suddenly stopped for a moment as the man had to reload the rifle, and Neon ran out from his cover, slamming a huge gust of wind against the car, knocking it on its side. Neon would have smiled victoriously, had the men not climbed out of the car. Two began to work on turning the car right-side up, and the other two, including the rifle man, went after Neon, the second one drawing a pistol.

They wasted no time. Before Neon could say a word, gunfire echoed through the city. It was a wonder that Blaze hadn't done something yet. Surely she'd heard the noise? Bullets flew by Neon as he ran for cover and took shelter behind a wall. He sent a blast of wind at the two men, and they fell over, rolling across the road by the blast. They skidded to a stop after grabbing onto a bench on the sidewalk, and began to try to get towards Neon again. The hedgehog was about to blow them back when his shoulder seared with pain again as it brushed against the wall. Neon fell to the ground, clutching the wound once more as he leaned on the wall with his other side.

"I've got to stop these guys quickly…" he mumbled, looking around for something to keep them down. He spotted a few bricks near the wall and grinned cunningly. He reached down and picked one up, then darted out from safety.

"Come on!" he shouted, grabbing their attention. He ducked away from a few shots before hurling the brick at one of them. It crashed down near one on the street, but the man had moved out of the way.

"Damn it." Neon grumbled, taking cover behind a corner. "I've got to find something better…"

He'd only looked around for a moment when the clicks of guns sounded behind his head. The two men stood behind Neon, the ends of their guns pointed at his head.

"Don't move." sounded the muffled voice of one from behind their mask. Neon continued staring directly ahead into a mirror in a display window. He viewed the two more clearly for a chance. They wore black ski masks over their faces, and one was modified to fit only a certain person as this man was undoubtedly a hedgehog. Their ears stuck out of cuts in the masks. Both men wore a dark green suit that was made so that it appeared to be made of scales. There were silver insignias on the front of the suits that looked like a diamond over an X. The pants of the suits were black, as were their shoes.

"_Who ARE these guys?_" Neon thought, swallowing hard.

A thud was heard nearby, showing that the van had been pushed right-side up again. Neon needed to act quickly. Without any movement of his arms, a gust of wind slammed down on the two men and they both dropped their weapons. With a slight laugh of triumph, Neon turned and raced down after the van, which had just started up and began to drive away. It turned a corner and Neon followed it still, until he realized that once again the car as heading for the castle.

"BLAZE! THEY'RE COMING TOWARDS YOU!" Neon shouted, trying to hold back the car.

Blaze had heard the shout, and in fact she'd heard everything else. But she was unable to do anything- her guards had held her in her room, while some stood inside near the doorway, their weapons drawn and ready. The moment the car had been seen the action was made.

"What's going on?" Blaze asked one of the guards standing near the door in her room. She attempted to get past him, but he didn't budge. "Let me through!"

"I cannot, Your Highness." the panther sternly replied, shaking his head. "You are in danger."

"Of what?" Blaze demanded to know.

At that moment, the great crash from the front room was heard as the van careened through the large doors. The van tumbled around for a moment just as the men inside got out and drew their guns. The guards began to attack, with swords, guns, or plainly their hands.

Neon ran towards the castle and soon saw several more vans approach, stopping and letting out the men wearing identical uniforms. They advanced on the guards and attacked, pushing them back and clearing the way for the men to go up the stairs. Neon ran after them, about to knock them all back with a blast of wind, when one of the two men from earlier tackled him- and against his injured shoulder, no less.

"You won't interfere!" the man shouted above Neon's cries of pain. The other man drew his gun and threatened anyone bold enough to go and try to help Neon.

The green hedgehog rolled over on top of the man and broke free of his hold as he heel-kicked him in the crotch. He got to his feet and kicked him in the side, then in the head, knocking him out. Neon turned around after the other one, when he stopped after seeing the gun pointed at him. Not wasting any time, the man pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened. It appeared that he was out of ammunition, and Neon advanced on him and blew him back into a wall. He continued nearer to him when the man attempted to strike him with the butt of the rifle, but Neon ducked, only to get clobbered in the back of the head as the rifle swung back at him. The spine where the rifle hit became bent and his fur became matted up with a thick spot of blood.

Neon collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

The men burst through Blaze's door, knocking aside the guard. One man, whose suit was a red color, removed his mask.

"Princess Blaze, it's an honor to be in your presence." The black Wolf said, a menacing grin crossing his face as he spoke sarcastically. "The Cross-Diamond Raiders have business to do with you…"

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A/N: Pretty neat, huh? Now I suppose you want to know who these Cross-Diamond Raiders are and what they want with Blaze? I guess you'll just have to wait!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And Neon(Supertails) brings you another chapter of Holding it Together! This chapter continues from the last and explains what the wolf and the Cross-Diamond Raiders want with Blaze, not to mention what happens as well. This chapter is rather sad, but that's the effect I'm going for.

Disclaimer: Blaze the Cat and the Sol Emeralds (And Eggman Nega) do not belong to me and are owned by Sega and Sonic Team.  
Neon the hedgehog and everything else is mine, as I created everything myself.

Chapter 3

Blaze narrowed her eyes and in seconds a wall of flames sprung up between her and the wolf.

"I don't think this is any business that I would want any part of." The pyrokinetic cat scowled, staring through the flames at him. The wolf's reaction was calm, and he continued to speak even through the flames.

"I'm afraid you have no choice." The wolf continued on, talking as if the fire wasn't even there. "We have something to take care of, and if you do not comply with us, then you shall suffer."

The wolf raised a communication device. He pressed a switch and said, "_Prepare the bomb_." Below, another masked man in a suit reached into a vehicle and brought out a black case. He opened it up, with lights flashing and wires stuck around. He fiddled with a few switches and relocated several wires.

"A BOMB?" Blaze roared, and the flames sprung up intensely. "There's no way that I'll let you."

"It is ready." said the voice through the device. "Should I detonate?"

"Not yet…" replied the wolf, keeping eye contact with the feline princess. The men behind him stood patiently and ready, looking for any guards that could come their way. "This can be easy." The wolf continued on, a menacing look in his shining, yellow eyes. "You can simply retrieve the Sol Emeralds- knowing that only you know where they are- and we will release you and leave this city unharmed."

"Not going to happen." Blaze replied coldly through clenched teeth, her hands balled up into fists.

"…Then we will have to do it the hard way, by detonating the bomb we have. I'm sure it should expose the Sol Emeralds, since they won't be affected by the blast." The wolf grinned slyly. "Now, I'm sure you want to go with the easy way, don't you, Your Highness?"

"I don't think so."

The wolf shrugged. "Fine, have it your way. We will detonate the bomb and-"

"First things first- who ARE you?" Blaze asked, unmoving from her position behind the wall of flames.

"Us? Why, we are the Cross-Diamond Raiders. Our goal is to conquer the world. Not in the way that foolish fat man Nega does, but rather by terror and power. We need those Sol Emeralds for our plan, and we will have them, one way, or another, even if some of us have to die to do it."

Neon awoke tied to a chair on top of a building. The two men stood near him, keeping an eye on him.

"Look, the little bitch is awake." said one of them, motioning to the other.

"LET ME GO!" Neon shouted, squirming around in the chair, trying to free himself from the ropes' grip.

"Don't waste your time." grumbled the other man. "Even if you escape, you deal with us. Besides, this will end quickly anyway. You may as well just sit here and watch." He lazily reloaded his rifle and pointed it toward the hedgehog's head.

Neon clenched his teeth and cursed under his breath. He needed to get out. All of those men were in the castle. He didn't know what was happening, except that Blaze was in trouble and he wasn't there to help. He squirmed around some more, but the ropes didn't loosen around his body. He was stuck.

Something was going to happen to Blaze if he didn't get free and deal with these two. Neon looked around, the castle straight ahead. He could be able to do something if he could get free and run as fast as he could inside. His eyes narrowed and he sent a gust of wind into the backs of the two men holding him hostage.

"Whoa!" shouted one, losing balance and plummeting off of the roof of the building. The other was unable to keep steady, either, and he fell off as well. The two sickening thuds signaled to Neon that those two weren't getting up. He took this opportunity to shake himself free, and eventually was able to get at the knot, which he rubbed open. As the rope fell around his ankles, Neon gave a shout of joy and flew down off the roof, landing near the two men.

"Such a shame." Neon said, shaking his head. "These guys shouldn't have messed with the wrong people. Now they're dead. Serves them right."

The green hedgehog turned his body to the closed doors of the gleaming marble castle. In a few moments, he stepped back and then began to race down the long street, hoping to reach the castle in time.

"I'll never help you and the Cross-Diamond Raiders." Blaze said as she made the flames leap up against the men. The wolf stood calm, his red suit getting barely any more than a few burn marks. "We knew about your fire abilities, miss, so we took the precautions against that." He struck out at Blaze, his fist contacting with her face. Blaze sprawled backwards onto her bed. She tried to get up, but the wolf pinned her down.

"That's enough playing around."

The doors of the front room blew open. Neon was still racing towards the castle as fast as possible, noting that his leg must have been injured after he fell unconscious.

"I'M COMING, BLAZE!" He shouted, when the man holding the black box caught his eye. From the distance, the wind carried information to Neon.

_It's a bomb._

Neon's eyes narrowed and clenched his teeth tightly together and growled, "I can't let them do this! I have to reach Blaze!" He attempted to gather his wind control to push him faster, but it seemed that his control had been limited and still restoring after he had been knocked unconscious.

"DAMN IT!" Neon shouted, continuing on foot towards the castle. A slight breeze blew by his ear, and it twitched as it heard the words carried by it-

"_Detonate the bomb_." The wolf's voice echoed in Neon's ear again as he continued his limp-run towards the castle. Pain shot through Neon's right leg in an even faster pattern as his eyes bulged and he tried to go faster.

"NO! BLAZE!" Neon roared, his voice echoing through the barren streets.

"NEON!" Blaze shouted back, barely reaching him through the transportation of the wind.

Neon's heart raced as he pressed on as fast as possible, his only thoughts on rescuing Blaze.

And then, it was all over.

In one instant, the man holding the box connected one single wire to the rest of the device. The bomb detonated, and it all seemed to go in slow motion as the roaring flames and debris were launched into the air, ripping apart the castle. The marble walls shattered like glass and crumbled, the windows blasted apart. The huge explosion expanded throughout the building, destroying the staircase, the walls, the decorations, and everything in its way in one, fell swoop.

"NOOOOOOO!" Neon shouted as he tried to continue onward, raising his arms- despite the searing pain in the reopened wound in his left shoulder- to shield his face. A large chunk of marble flew by as Neon pressed on, closing his eyes from the light. The marble scratched against the left side of his head and across his eyelid. Blood began to drizzle out of the gash that it left behind, but the scorching debris had also partly burned the wound shut.

The green hedgehog ignored the pain as he ran forward. Through the smoke and the ruins of the castle, he could see several bodies of the men inside. There was also a faint, multi-colored glow that resonated through the smoke as seven differently-colored gems blasted through the air from the impact, disappearing from sight.

"BLAZE! BLAZE! ARE YOU THERE???" Neon cried out, coughing through the ashes and smoke. He collapsed to his knees and coughed some more, staring down at the ground, refusing to take in what had just happened. He pushed himself to his feet and attempted to see past the smoke, blowing it away with a gust of wind.

The castle was completely destroyed. Nearly everything Neon saw was absolutely unfamiliar to him. The burned down ashes of the walls and debris lay everywhere, leaving a blackish-gray color all around. Traces of white could be found here and there, but it was only the walls of the building, crumbled and decimated beyond Neon's memory. Where the tall, gleaming, spiral staircase once stood was a pile of rubble and ash. There were several places where small amounts of flames had sprung up, and Neon looked away from the thing that had reminded him so much of Blaze.

Fragments of the walls still stood, crumbled away and blackened with smoke. The whole area was covered with debris of every shape and size, and it was hard to walk as Neon stepped through the disaster-struck foundation of the once proud, tall castle. Remnants of the seared bodies of the suited men lay this-way and that-way, their green uniforms charred and burnt to a barely-recognizable black.

Then a glint of light reflected off of something through the smoking ruins that drew the green hedgehog towards it, his vest and pants charred as well. Blood dripped from the large scratch on the side of his head and hit the ashy ground as he bent over it. Neon silently gasped as he realized what it was, and dragged away some debris to free what was underneath. His trembling arms reached down and he grabbed the ashy figure as he pulled it up.

"No…" tears formed in Neon's eyes as he looked over the body and almost dropped it. The hot, fresh tears streaked down the sides of his face, carving a path through his ashy fur.

Blaze's body was terribly scratched and burnt, despite her clothes being fireproof. Her fur and hair was all messed up, and what had been her pony tails drooped down from the lack of a hair band. The gem on her forehead gleamed no longer, covered up with smoke and ash. The expression on Blaze's face had been the same as when the bomb had just detonated- a frightened look, her eyes closed tightly, her mouth pulled into a frown. Blaze's dress was ripped up in certain areas, blood pooling and matting her fur on her arms and stomach. One leg contained a wide gash, and blood dripped steadily onto the ground and Neon's shoes. There were other details, such as the cuts into her back or the ripped up gloves and shoes, but there was only one thing that truly caught Neon's attention.

It was the gleaming, charred, dented gold necklace that hung around Blaze's neck. It was bent in a certain place, and Neon examined it carefully. It was the front of the necklace, but it looked like that was supposed to be able to move. The green hedgehog curiously pushed open the top, and even more tears streamed down his face as he peered inside.

Inside the necklace was a picture, like in the compartment of a locket. Inside the necklace was a picture of one person, and one person only. One who undoubtedly deserved that special place near Blaze's heart. As Neon stared into the compartment, he saw that that picture was of a green hedgehog, with black highlights under his spines on the back of his head and the ones that hung in front; who wore a short, red vest with blue lining the edges that hung near the long, white tuft of fur on his chest.

It was a picture of Neon, himself.

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A/N: I told you it was sad! So, now we've seen what happened, what the Cross-Diamond Raiders wanted, and what they did. Neon's obviously heartbroken. So, what do you think will happen next? Keep on reading! (And reviews would be nice!)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: And it continues. It's another sad chapter, and the sadness in total should be spread out a bit more later...

Disclaimer: Blaze and any other Official Sonic-Universe thing belongs to Sega and Sonic Team.  
Everything else, from Neon to Glint City, Belongs to me.  
-----

Chapter 4

Neon felt weak in his legs. He barely held himself up on the thought of dropping Blaze. He reached up his right arm and wiped his eyes, uncaring that he'd also picked up some blood from his scar. He just stared at Blaze, her expression emitting the emotion so loudly.

The green hedgehog shook his head. He didn't want to believe it. Not in the slightest desire did Neon want to accept that Blaze, one of his best friends in the world, was dead. Thoughts raced through his head almost as fast as a blue hedgehog he'd met once, and he was confused, angry, and mournful all at once. Neon could barely move, his body felt stiff like a petrified tree.

It was only a small glance around him that revealed to himself the people crowding around from the street, to see the devastation that had been caused. Neon looked down at Blaze in his arms, his head bowed down in misery. He began to tremble, which escalated to shaking as he began to cry. It was not just him, either, but also the residents of Glint City. The sobs from the crowd, ones from children and adults alike seemed to be nonexistent to Neon. The world around him became blurred and invisible as he stared down at the body of the lavender feline.

When he finally spoke, his voice was raspy and dry. He found it hard to speak at all, but was able to do so anyway. "Why… Why did they do this?" Neon asked, not to anyone around him, but more to Blaze. "You… you didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve this at all. I… I…"

He was unable to go further, overwhelmed by emotions in such vast amounts that he'd never felt before. He was consumed of rage, misery, revenge, and despair. Everything that he had truly cared for was now lost from this world.

Neon slowly turned, still holding Blaze in his arms, and faced the people who had been behind him. Some gasped and cried even more when they saw the condition Blaze was in, and only few noticed the extent of Neon's wounds. As he stepped forward slowly, the crowd parted for him to get through. He limped his way through, the people gathered on either side of him, and continued on down the street, the sobbing mass following behind. As Neon knew where he was going, and it didn't matter if everyone else followed.

The green hedgehog made his way to the park area, bright green and white and all sorts of colors, untouched by the ash from the smoke. The flowers bowed in the breeze, and in Neon's mind it was almost like they were saluting Blaze. He reached the middle of a grassy hillside, touched by little more than the flowers and the shade of a nearby tree. Here, Neon slowly set Blaze down in the soft grass. He kneeled down next to her.

Racing through his head were the memories of her through his whole life. It was too much for Neon to remember, the countless good times and the few bad ones, and it nearly made him sick to think that they'd all ended then and there. Tears ran down his nose and dripped onto the lush grass beneath him, a hand held to his forehead.

It was silent for a long moment until the quiet was broken. That was when Neon had stared into the sky and shouted, "SO THAT'S HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED? SO THAT'S HOW YOU WANT IT TO BE?" as he pointed an accusing finger towards the heavens. "WHY? IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME INSTEAD! I COULD HAVE TAKEN HER PLACE! I COULD HAVE TAKEN HER PLACE!"

It seemed now that Neon was delirious. Whether from blood loss or shock, no one knew. Or had he been delirious at all? He fell silent again, staring down at Blaze. He reached down and gently began to brush the ash off of her face, revealing the lavender fur, slightly charred, underneath.

Once he'd cleared her face, he sat back silently. A man walked up to him and rested a hand on Neon's shoulder. He fox had his hat off and held over his heart. Neon looked up at him.

"Perhaps we should take her and…. Get her ready…" he said solemnly, gesturing towards the funeral center down the street. Neon nodded and picked Blaze up once more, following the man down the street, the crowd of people following behind. Neon walked into the building after the man, who had worked there. The rest of the people waited outside, as instructed by the policemen, who lined up on the outside of the building. Several people peered through the window, but couldn't see anything.

Inside, Neon had laid down Blaze on a somewhat low table and sat in a chair, his head bowed and his arms laid across his lap as he patiently waited for the fox. The fox was looking around for something inside a room. The seconds ticked away slowly until he finally returned, carrying a large, golden box. It was a casket, no doubt.

"Excuse me, but why would you have something like that already made before Blaze… passed away?" Neon asked, not looking up at the man.

There was a short moment of silence before the grim reply came. "By all respects, this is bigger than what we'll need… We had been ordered to have something like this ready incase of a disaster such as this one… but we thought it wouldn't be soon…"

Neon looked up at the casket. The golden design on the top was reminiscent of bright, shining flames around the clear, glass opening, where her head would bee seen. There were red gems embedded into the outside, and it shone with a brilliance that was comparable to Egyptian work. Inside were fluffy, white sheets that would be perfect to put Blaze on.

"We should clean her up." The man offered Neon after a moment's time.

"Yeah… I'll do it." He slowly stood up and lifted Blaze off of the table, walking into a room as directed by the fox.

The door clicked behind him as he flicked on a light. Here Neon was, alone in a room with Blaze. He gently laid her on a soft, bed-like object, and looked around. There was a paper up on the wall, titled "INSTRUCTIONS FOR THOSE WISHING TO PREPARE THEIR LOVED ONES BY THEMSELVES." A quick, solemn scan of the list was all Neon needed, and he set right to work, slowly and carefully.

He carefully removed Blaze's clothing, not in a lustful way, but in a caring way. He placed her into a tub and filled it with water, cleaning off Blaze's wounds and fur so that she wouldn't be buried looking so bad. He then lifted her up and dried her off with a blow-dryer, wrapping her in a towel when he was done.

Neon opened the door a bit and peered out at the fox. "Hey, I need you to get some clothes from my house. You know, the ones that look like- and are- Blaze's? She left them there once, so I figured that I could change her into those… since everything else burned up…" The man nodded and Neon tossed his house keys to him, and the fox stepped outside and took a ride with the police officer to Neon's house.

While he waited, Neon took a long look at Blaze. He stared at her expression and then gently fixed it up, changing the frightened emotion to a peaceful one. Then a knock came on the door, and Neon opened it. The fox handed Neon the clothes, and he gave him a thankful smile before closing the door. He then walked over and carefully dressed Blaze, smoothing out the wrinkles and everything.

He carried Blaze out of the room, turning off the light behind him. The fox helped Neon carefully put the feline inside the casket, and he placed her hands on top of each other on her stomach. Then they closed the top and lifted the casket and carefully took it outside and back to the park.

--

It was a quick but long funeral service. Neon and several others had changed into formal clothes, and he himself stood near the casket the whole time. One thing was rather notably different, though. Missing from around Blaze's neck was her necklace. Neon instead wore it, all polished and fixed around his own neck. The compartment was open, however, and the picture of himself had been replaced by a picture of Blaze.

Neon was asked to speak and he went to the microphone. "Blaze… was one of my best friends. It was so fun to be around her and everything. In truth, I loved her. I suppose I had never imagined this day coming so soon…" He paused and looked back at Blaze behind him. "I know it's not so great to say this during a funeral, but I will… get revenge. She was such a great leader to all of us, and those people…. They killed her for their own gain, and I can NEVER forgive them for that. I promise, I'll end this before anything else happens to us and out city, not to mention the kingdom. Blaze, for you, I'll set things straight."

The casket was covered up and slowly lowered into the hole that had been dug in the park. Neon placed in one thing on top of it before he began to fill up the hole- the picture of himself that he'd found inside the necklace. The soil was slowly covered until Neon had finished it off and a strip of grass had been placed on top. Then, a bronze plaque was stuck into the ground above the grave. It had been made quickly and read: "HERE LIES PRINCESS BLAZE THE CAT. A GREAT LEADER AND INFLUENCE TO ALL SHE RULED OVER KINDLY. SHOW HER RESPECT FOREVER MORE." Carved into the bronze was Neon's signature. He'd engraved it into the bottom of the plaque because he felt that it was right to sign his name into a plaque dedicated to his best friend.

Neon remained on the hill near the grave for a few hours more, as everyone slowly left. The bodies that could be found and identified for the guards were being placed into a truck to be cleaned so they could be later buried the next day.

"Blaze… I'll miss you more than anyone else. I'll keep my promise to you. I won't let everything that you've made good fall apart." Neon whispered this silently before finally standing up. He wiped away his tears, no longer stained with the blood from his scar, which had clotted up. He turned and left the area. After a few limping paces, he turned and gave one last, long look at the grave before going home, where he just sat and laid awake in bed, unable to sleep.

"Blaze… rest easy in the sky."

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A/N: Sad, isn't it? Blaze was put to rest kindly in this chapter. Starting the Next chapter, Neon's journey will begin. He'll keep his promise, don't you worry!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey, guys! I guess I got held up, but here is chapter five! Just keep on reading and write some reviews!

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Holding it Together

Chapter 5 

Any attempt to sleep was made in vain. Time and time again, as Neon managed to close his eyes and begin to rest, the same nightmare entered his mind, and his reaction was always the same- he'd jolt upright at the end, his furry chest rising up and down quickly while he panted, beads of sweat rolling down his face. It wasn't only that, but the green hedgehog's scar also throbbed painfully over his left eye; he'd only been able to keep his eye halfway open at times like this, because the scar on his eyelid hurt even more if he tried to open it all the way.

After what possibly was the fifth time it'd happened (of course, Neon wasn't keeping count), he let out a long sigh, barely caring that everything around him was enclosed in darkness save for the digital clock on the nightstand next to the bed, which glowed _3:04 AM_ in red lights. Neon solemnly shook his head, trying to knock the dream out. He could barely sleep for a few minutes before he saw the event that took place only a few hours ago, the smoky explosion tearing the castle apart, with Neon himself only moments away from preventing it all. After that vivid re-run, everything would fall into darkness, with the only thing other than himself present being the loud, maniacal laughter echoing everywhere. Then he'd fall into the darkness-

"Damn it!" Neon whispered, pounding his fist against the mattress, his head hung down miserably. There was no way he could sleep now. He needed something to occupy himself from everything, to distract his thoughts from Blaze's death.

The green hedgehog slowly slid out of bed, his right hand wandering toward the lamp's switch. He winced at the light and narrowed his eyes until he was accustomed to the brightness that usually couldn't be found at this hour. When he opened his eyes (His left eye could be opened a bit more now, the throbbing was lessening), the glint of a certain object caught his attention. The necklace that Blaze had worn was now in his possession, but that wouldn't make anything much better for him.

Neon silently picked up the jewelry and placed it around his neck, a deep feeling of passion and sadness flowing through his body. He pulled on his green, white, and blue shoes after sliding on his black, flame-design pants. The vest came on last as Neon slid his arms through the holes, his white-with-an-orange-square gloves fitted tightly on his hands. This being done, Neon ignored the cold temperature and left his house seeking something to do.

Few cars traveled the streets at this time in the morning, and Neon found it easy to get from one place to the next without needing to look left and right for vehicles. As he walked around, though, he was unaware of his slower pace, which was normally a rather fast-paced walk. It didn't matter much to him how fast he was going as long as he was occupied, and thus Neon didn't care to change his pace.

The morning fog was thick and white, making vision more difficult than it needed to be. In fact, Neon couldn't really see where he was going at this point. And maybe it wasn't just the fog that had clouded his vision, because he muttered under his breath- despite no one being around to even hear if he spoke normally- "Blaze…" He continued his walk, staring blankly ahead, for quite a while; Neon wasn't sure whether he'd gone throughout the whole city or not. He'd generally walked straight forward the whole time, occasionally taking a turn every now and then. But, at last, he finally stopped.

It had probably been his subconscious that led him to this exact place, and whether it was true or not, Neon found himself standing at Blaze's grave for the second time within twelve hours.

Overwhelmed with the unavoidable grief that had trailed him since the day before, the green hedgehog fell to his knees, his hands covering his face as he sobbed. Neon was almost never like this; perhaps it had just been so because it was the first time he had lost anyone dear to him. It seemed as if his body itself had been reacting to this event as well, as his spines with the black highlights underneath drooped down quite a bit more than usual and his body felt rather weak.

After a few minutes, Neon was able to calm down and sadly wiped away a few tears from his eyes. By now it must have been at least 4:15 in the morning, but it didn't matter. He was unable to sleep, his thoughts plagued with the lavender cat. The silence throughout all of Glint City was of rest, and Neon knew that no one else would be up like he was; not many had felt as horrible as he when it happened, and he was certain that no one would right now.

He shut his eyes and exhaled a heavy breath. The green hedgehog welcomed the darkness from being unable to see, as he just needed to think things over for a while. A shiver was sent up his spine more than once, but he ignored it. He remembered his promise to Blaze and repeated it over and over in his mind, falling deeper and deeper into the fog around him…

Neon awoke slowly and tiredly to the sounds of the city. Cars drove about and people walked down the sidewalk. But he noticed that it was very different from usual. The cars seemed to be moving slower than average, and the people outside weren't talking much. Even merely one or two birds would have the courage to sing through the silence. It was all painfully silent, a strange feeling covering the town. Most likely they'd remembered the passing of their princess.

When the green hedgehog attempted to get up, he found the weight of an object on top of him. He had been too tired to notice a moment ago, but now Neon took note of the presence of a warm, fuzzy, blue blanket draped across his body. He took it off as he rose to his feet, noticing that there were several flowers around the grave that hadn't been there earlier, and assumed that it had been a few people paying a visit.

Examining the blanket, he found a strip of paper loosely attached to it. A gloved hand reached out and took it off, and Neon brought it closer to read the words written on it:

_The fire may be gone, but you can still be warmed._

Neon sighed as he ran his eyes over the paper. The handwriting was unfamiliar to him; he was curious to know who had given him the blanket so he could return it. Finding no clue as to who it was, Neon folded up the cloth and placed the note into his pocket. With no other idea as to what he'd do with the blanket, Neon placed it next to the grave, hoping whoever kindly loaned it to him would come back and retrieve it.

Looking around the city, Neon saw a clock through the window of the store that displayed clearly that it was 8:47 AM. Neon managed a smile, glad that he got a few hours of sleep. He rubbed his eyes as he walked along the silent streets, the usually cheery and kind people now quiet and gloomy. The same feeling was still housed in Neon, and he knew that it might take a while to get over it.

When Neon entered the café nearby, things weren't much different. There had been some discussion between a few people (probably because they hoped to keep their mind off of the matter as well), but otherwise the building was rather silent. And in only moments after he'd entered, everything became silent. With only the sound of breathing breaking the silence, Neon looked around to find that most people's eyes were on him. It then became sickeningly aware to him that it was probably his relation to yesterday's incident that had silenced everyone from the moment they took notice of his presence.

Neon silently took a seat amid all the stares and turned away from everyone and looked up at the menu. The conversations began again, although this time they were carried out a bit more softly.

"What'll it be?" one of the employees asked, standing opposite Neon's seat at the counter.

No reply was given, and it appeared that Neon was lost in thought.

"You okay?" the vixen asked, giving Neon an odd look.

Neon snapped out of his thought and his eyes shifted from the menu to the waitress. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine… Just get me a bagel and some coffee." he replied, sitting up from leaning on the counter.

"Sure thing." The fox replied, and she went off to fix up his order, her long, red hair swaying to the side as she turned.

It was only a few moments before she returned, and Neon handed her the $7.23 for the meal. He silently took a sip of the coffee and took to staring out the window. Once more, his mind became lost in thought, and he only managed a few more sips of his warm drink before someone behind him gave a tap to Neon's shoulder. He turned around and found an old, gray dog standing nearby. His muzzle had a few wrinkles of fur across it that match the ones under his eyes. Two blue eyes met Neon's brown ones, and he replied, "Yeah?"

The raspy voice of the dog replied in a warm, gentle tone. "You miss her, don't you?"

Neon's silence was enough of an answer for the dog, and he continued on.

"While you grieve over her, don't forget that dwelling on the past isn't always good. Remembering those lost is always the kindest way to say you care for someone, but you must also move on. Blaze is still a part of you, and don't forget that."

Neon smiled a bit. "You can say that, but it's kind of hard to move on…"

"I know," the old animal replied, a kind smile across his face, "I've had to deal with things like this, too." He began to walk by Neon and patted him on the shoulder. "Just remember to make the best of your life, and do it for her."

Neon watched as the man walked out of the café. He smiled, a warm feeling filling inside him. The man was right. As hard to say it as it was, he really did have to move on. Neon's thoughts trailed to Blaze, and he heaved a great sigh before finally admitting to himself, _I can't let this stop me from living. I still have a promise to keep, after all, and I have to see to it that I make it true._ He finished off his meal before leaving a nice tip and then left the café.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So, took long enough, eh? Keep on reading! it gets good!

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Chapter 6

Neon was home in mere seconds. He'd made up his mind that he would leave before 10:00 AM. For whatever reason, the green hedgehog had felt it necessary to leave early, and now he was picking out a few things to take with him at 9:02 AM. He must have been inspired by the old dog's words. No one would blame him if they'd known- that old dog (called "Rusty" by his friends) was one of the kindest and wisest people in the city, let alone the whole kingdom.

No time was wasted, and Neon had finished deciding on what to bring by 9:30 AM. He chose to bring with him his wallet, containing an ID card about $340 in cash; a canteen of water that actually held more water than it appeared to hold; and the necklace that held Blaze's picture inside of it. Neon sat back on his bed and looked around. A large wave of emotion flowed over him, a grim feeling that he may never see his house ever again.

He walked over to his shiny, red guitar and picked it up. The custom instrument was his favorite, and the thought of not having it any longer gave Neon a slight pinching feeling in his chest. _Well, if I've lost Blaze, then my guitar is certainly nothing…_he thought, and began to strum a few notes on the guitar. He heaved a great sigh and laid it back against its stand and, almost rethinking if he should really leave or not, looked back at it for a few long seconds before turning away.

The house was a mess; Neon had never been good at cleaning. There really was no time to start then at the moment anyway, but the same grim feeling had made him wonder whether he should clean up the place. Shaking his head as if turning down an invisible person, Neon reached for the doorknob and stepped out of his house.

He walked slowly now, observing the city as it was- active with many people, cheerful (Well, maybe not today) and kind. The city was rather clean, nearly nothing distracting from the view, save for the remains of the castle. Neon sighed at it, the center of the whole place. He'd miss the city, and not just because it was his home- because that's where Blaze's body was laid to rest.

The green hedgehog almost considered leaving silently, but finally could not find it in himself to leave and not let anyone know. In one of his loudest voices (and using the wind to carry it), Neon shouted, "EVERYONE! I HAVE TO MAKE MY FINAL GOODBYE! MY PROMISE STILL NEEDS TO BE FULLFILLED!"

Of course, everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered near the city limits where Neon stood.

"Guys, you don't know how much I don't want to leave this city." He started, looking around at all of the people he'd become accustomed to. "I really don't want to leave my one and only home. But I made a promise to stop the evil still going on in the world. I promised that to Princess Blaze, and now I'm going to make sure it happens. Whether I come back or not, you all still need to be strong and keep things going. Don't let anything tear down the city. You all are the only things keeping the city together. Stay strong and don't let your guard down. If I ever DO come back one day, I want to see you all happy and living fine, you understand?"

There was a long silence. Thinking no one had anything to say, Neon began to turn and leave, saying, "Goodbye, everyone." To his surprise, everyone responded back, with lots of enthusiasm and encouragement. A smile crossed Neon's lips, and a tear rolled down his cheek as he turned his back on his home town.

_So it all begins…And behind me I leave my one and only home… I hope I'll see it again one day…_

Neon had walked along the road for an hour or two already, his feet beginning to hurt. He was heading for the city of Settstown, a large city nearby Glint City (if you owned a car, that is.) However, Neon had chosen not to fly, under the feeling that he may run into the Cross-Diamond Raiders or a Sol Emerald along the way.

He wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead as he took a drink from the canteen. Surveying the area, he noticed that few to no cars at all were traveling the road to the larger town. Perhaps yesterday's event had somehow compelled everyone to stay in Glint City? Neon shrugged and continued on. A tumbleweed brushed by his leg as he did so, and this reminded him that he needed to keep going. After all, that little weed was still moving along, so why shouldn't he?

Neon's paced picked up and a cooling breeze of wind blew against his face. He passed a sign that read, "SETTSTOWN, 2 MILES" and his focus laid on the city ahead.

He entered the gates to the city under an arch that displayed a welcome sign above it. The city looked a little old, as not much shined clean and it appeared that they hadn't for quite some time. The darkly-colored buildings (usually blacks, grays, or darker blues and the like) stood in many different sizes, some being shortest at 22 feet tall, with others somewhere past 80 feet. Cars drove by on the lighted roads at moderate paces, but it appeared that not too many people lived in the city.

"Looks like everyone is on vacation…" Neon mumbled, looking around. He saw a few people sitting on benches on the sidewalks or in the patches of grass that were supposedly parks. A few of them flashed strange glances at Neon, while others gave the hedgehog full-on stares. He didn't let it get to himself, though, and continued on. As he made his way into the center of the area, he realized that the edge of the city was much duller than the center. The center of the city was alive with people, both sitting quietly and loudly having friendly conversations with one another. Cars were more frequently rushing by, and the lighter buildings were welcoming. Neon smiled as he walked along and began to make his way to a clock tower nearby. He figured it would be the best vantage point for looking out for the Cross-Diamond Raiders.

The thought of that group made Neon's expression change quite a bit, and he frowned at even the thought of their name, let alone what they had done. But Neon wouldn't forget, not by a long shot.

"_HELP MEEEEE!_" The scream pierced Neon's thoughts and he looked around, almost as if a gunshot had gone off.

No one else had reacted. Neon looked around at them all. _Was something wrong with them? Hadn't they heard that scr_-

"_SOMEBODY, HELP!!!_" There it was again! And, once more, no one had reacted. Neon didn't know what to think of these ignorant people, but began to frantically look for the source. He accidentally bumped into a few people, who gave him a confused glance, and then went back to their own business.

Then the scream came again. "_HE--"_ But it had been cut off. What exactly was this?

The girl struggled against her captor's grasp, trying to tug her wrist free from his strong hands. As she went to scream for aid again, he slapped a hand over her mouth and cut her short. Not yet ready to give in, she bit into the dog's hand and it sprung away at once as he cursed. Then, a hard hit came to the back of the girl's head.

"Shut up and do as you're told!" He scowled, and he continued to struggle with her, his other three friends standing nearby with their arms crossed. His lips curled into a wicked smile as he touched her, and she struggled more. He hand slid down to her waist, and the girl cried, "_STOP!_"

"I don't think I will..." replied his sly voice, and his friends laughed viciously. "You're going to be coming with me, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

The girl gave the dog a sharp glance, her sharp teeth clenched and her cat-like eyes full of hatred, and at the same time, fear. "No." The cat tried to pull free once more, her other arm still pinned to her back by her enemy.

"Oh, fighting back, eh?" The dog sneered. "I think I like that…" as he began to slide the cat's pants, another cloth falling down her legs that was tied around her hips.

"_STOP! PLEASE! LET ME GO!_" the cat pleaded, struggling some more.

"I won't… until we're done, first." The dog and his friends had been in an alley with this cat, and now he began to open his door, an evil grin spread across his long, pointed, dark crimson-furred muzzle.

A small breeze began to blow into the alley and all five of the creatures looked towards the source. Standing there, with his right side showing, angled eyebrows, closed eyes, and hands in his black-with-a-flame-design pants pockets, stood a green hedgehog with a red vest and black highlights underneath his spines, tail, and front spines. In any other words, it was Neon.

"You heard her. Let the girl go." He commanded, still not facing the group.

"Why should I?" The dog mused back angrily, his red eyes pointed at Neon.

Neon's right eye opened and he looked over at the dog. Then, he slowly removed his hands from his pockets and turned towards him, his scarred eye drawing the dog's attention. "Because then you won't have to deal with me."

Laugher echoed though the alley. When the dogs had caught their breath, the leader said, "That's funny, really hilarious. I don't think you could handle me or my pals here. Now, just run along right now and we won't hurt you." A hand reached into the inside of the dog's leather trench-coat. He drew out a shiny, silver hand gun. His cohorts did the same.

This time, it was Neon who was laughing.

"He'll do it! Just run now! I don't want anyone else hurt!" the cat pleaded to him. Neon settled down and looked into the cat's eyes. It felt a little weird, since her right eye was red and her left eye was green, but he able to understand her anyway.

"I don't back down. Bring your best." Neon challenged, staring sternly into the dog's face. His stance changed and he began to slowly shift back and forth, his hands up, ready to fight.

"Get him." The dog said simply, and his friends charged Neon, guns pointed out.

The green hedgehog barely made any effort, and thrust his hands to opposite sides. Two gusts of wind followed the pattern and knocked into the sides of two of the three dogs and smashed them against the sides of the alley. The third one, startled, made no hesitation to fire, and a few gunshots rang out. The cat closed her eyes in horror, but when she reopened them, saw that Neon had jumped over the line of fire and had now proceeded to slam his foot into the dog's face, sending him flying into a trash can.

"How-?" the leader exclaimed and, thrusting the cat down to the ground, started towards Neon, firing off several rounds.

These shots were dodged easily and Neon then sent an upward gust underneath the dog, throwing him into the air. A blast of wind came off from underneath the hedgehog as he darted upward, too, above the dog. He slammed his fist into his back, and then a knee into the stomach, and finally smashed the creature to the ground with a gust of wind. The dog crashed into the ground and skidded against a wall, his cuts bleeding quite a bit. He was unconscious; Neon nonchalantly landed and grouped all four together outside on the sidewalk with a handwritten note saying, "Arrest for sexual assault." A cleverly-taken snapshot of the scene was attached carefully, then Neon walked back to the cat.

His gloved hand reached down. The cat eyed it for a moment of hesitation, and then accepted his help as Neon pulled her off of the ground.

There was a moment of silence between the two before the cat flung her arms around Neon and hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you so very much for helping me! I never thought I'd be able to escape those guys until you showed up!" Neon sighed and she released him. "Sorry… I haven't introduced myself yet…"

Standing up straight, she held out her hand. "I'm Stacy. Stacy the Cat."

Neon's hand met her half-fingerless gloved ones and they shook. "My name is Neon the Hedgehog."

He looked her over. "Might want to pull up your pants."

Stacy looked down and her face flushed red as she bent over to correct the problem.

The cat had unusual fur. Near the front of her face, it was a light, dark blue, but as it went away the color faded into black. The sides of her head were long and had spiked parts. The top parts of either side had a purple, swirl-like pattern in the fur, and in the middle of both sides was a black, curve-like shape. Her eyelashes were long and pointy at the ends, and as she closed her eyes, a pattern could be seen on her eyelids that was two black stripes. Her ears were long and had tuft-like strands of fur coming off of the tips. As already noticed, her right eye was red, her left one green, but there really seemed to be no problem with them. They still had kind looks to them.

When Stacy stood back up, Neon was also able to see what the rest of her looked like. Her body was rather curvy, and Neon's stomach felt a little strange when he noticed her breasts were rather…developed. (He realized that those guys hadn't attempted to rape her for nothing.) Stacy wore short top with 1-inch straps. The top went only halfway down her torso, and Neon could see the white fur in the middle of the blue-black fur with the same fading effect. The purple top had a keyhole-like shape on the lower side of it, and was slightly covered up by a jade green vest. Neon recognized the vest as one from the same manufacturer that had made the same vest he was wearing The top edge of her vest was white and frilled, with a buttoned pocket on their side of the bottom edges, and two identical rectangular zipper-covers that supposedly led to a pocket on the inside. Her furry arms were slightly longer than average, with her half-fingerless gloves at the bottom exposing her fingers partway. The cuffs of the gray gloves were buttoned tight so they didn't slip off, and had a decorative, curved yellow edge that stuck out from the side of the cuff and turned upward.

Stacy was fastening something around her waist above her jade green pants. The orange and yellow cloth had a buckle almost like a seatbelt fastener that held two sides of it together. Neon could no longer hold in his curiosity and asked, "What's that?"

"This?" Stacy responded, pointing at the cloth. "It's just a portable rain jacket. I don't like getting wet unless I'm in the shower or want to get wet."

It appeared that the hood of the jacket was the triangle-like part hanging out from the rest of the folded-up material and was hanging over her left pant leg, but there was really nothing wrong with it.

Her legs had, yet again, the same blue-to-black fade to them, only the outside sides had a wavy pattern that set apart a purple section of fur. Her shoes had two shades of green- one dark, in the back, and one light, in the front- that were separated by a zigzagging orange strap that ran across both sides of the sneakers. A long, forked tail flicked back and forth behind her.

When Neon finished looking the cat over, he said, "Does this happen to you quite a bit?"

Stacy grew silent and shamefully bowed her head down a bit. After a moment, she quietly replied, "Sadly, it does happen from time to time… I guess I'm just drawn to this kind of thing more than most other girls…"

Neon walked over and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." She looked up into his brown eyes and a small smile crossed her furry, white muzzle.

"Now, how about I walk you home?" Neon asked. Stacy nodded, and the two left the alley, a light flickering behind them.

As they crossed the center of Settstown, Stacy asked, "So, what brings you here?"

Neon drew a deep breath before starting, "I came here because I need to find some people who killed--"

The green hedgehog was cut off by a loud clap of thunder as a lightning bolt struck across the sky as it became dark and cloudy. The people in the center of the city stopped their activity and looked up towards the top of a clock tower where a creature stood on top, slightly hidden by shadows like the person behind him. The silver insignia with a crossed-out diamond stood prominent to everyone, especially Neon, as he started to laugh loudly and evilly.

"Ah, time to test out our new power on this useless town…"

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A/N; See? Now, Neon's got another challenge to face after rescuing poor Stacy! Just keep reading to see what happens!


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